Algarve travel guide

Caldeirada Algarvia

The Algarve's quintessential fish stew — a layered pot of locally caught mixed fish (skate, gurnard, monkfish, clams) with potato, tomato, onion, garlic and olive oil; cooked slowly without stirring to keep the layers intact; each cook has a different fish combination depending on the day's market; served with crusty bread to soak the broth

Cataplana de marisco

The Algarve's signature dish and its defining cooking vessel — seafood (clams, prawns, lobster, crab) cooked in a traditional copper cataplana (a clamshell-shaped pressure vessel that seals the steam); the cataplana concentrates the briny sweetness of the seafood with tomato, garlic, chouriço and white wine; presented at the table in the vessel

Dom Rodrigo sweet

The Algarve's most traditional sweet from Lagos and the eastern Algarve — egg yolk, almond and cinnamon paste wrapped in gold and silver foil twists; the recipe dates to the 16th century Moorish cooking traditions; sold at confectioneries throughout the region

Amêijoas à Bulhão Pato

Portuguese clam dish classic to the Algarve coast — fresh local clams steamed open in olive oil, garlic, white wine and coriander; the Ria Formosa lagoon system is one of Europe's finest shellfish grounds; eating these clams within hours of harvest is transformative